Governor Spitzer Is Weighing His Options

by AMANDA MELILLO · March 11, 2008

So the morning after Governor Spitzer's career-killing news broke, he has still not resigned, although insiders have said he is weighing the option. It seems for the time being that he has taken the Larry Craig route—that is, hanging in there until he has to testify in some kind of committee that's going to push him out anyway. Here is what we know today:

~Investigations into his transactions began when it appeared to the IRS that he was moving money to shell corporations, although they assumed it was run-of-the-mill political corruption, bribery, greed, etc.

~Federal wiretaps recorded conversations that the governor had with booking agents, leaving instructions for how to get his "package" to him while he was in Washington. (You couldn't come up with a better code for "prostitute"?) Hey—remember when everyone was freaked out about the government's illegal wiretapping program? Use pay phones, like they did in the Sopranos.

~He was called Client Number Nine in court documents and affidavits, and website domain names ClientNumberNine.com and ClientNumber9.com went almost immediately after the news broke. (Wonder what those websites will be about.)

~Apparently petite brunettes are his type, or at least when they're available for hire.

~The tryst that spells his downfall took place in room 871 of the Mayflower Hotel, the same hotel, incidentally, where JFK would have his affairs. (Do you think the Secret Service went with him there…?)

~Supporters that believed Spitzer was above the general mess of politics are shocked and outraged. Wall Street, however, is pouring the champagne in celebration, since Spitz went after a lot of higher-ups in the big firms for illegal securities and insider trading.